CUTTACK: Former Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) of Rourkela, Kailash Chandra Swain on on Saturday denied making any statement on the drunken state of the former judicial magistrate first class (JMFC), Rourkela, Arun Kumar Patnaik on the fateful night of April last year when the latter was allegedly assaulted by police.
Appearing before the Justice AS Naidu Commission of Inquiry into the incident, the then CJM Swain stated that he was not present at Rourkela on the day. It is, however, mentioned in all the affidavits filed by the police officers that on the night of April 2 last year when the CJM was contacted over phone, he had sought to look into it the next morning. “Now the magistrate would be in a drunken state, we would see it in the morning”, the statement attributing it to the CJM Swain is mentioned in the affidavits.
Considering such a statement, the Commission had asked the CJM to file an affidavit on the veracity of the statement. The CJM denies the statement and said he had never spoken to any police officer over phone on the said night.
The Justice Naidu Commission also on Saturday examined general secretary of the Orissa Judicial Officers Association Mahamed Ajmal. Both Ajmal and Swain were also cross-examined by the lawyers of different parties.
The Commission has already examined 29 witnesses among those who have filed affidavits about the incident.